Link's Choice
by Kaeli-Madym
Summary: What if Link was given a choice to stay an adult or return to his childhood?


AN: This is just a one-shot that was used in an old Roleplay of mine on Gaia online.I wrote this at least 6 years ago so I apologize if there are some errors or if it doesn't flow well.

They had done it. Ganon, the transformed beast that was Ganondorf had been weakened enough that they were able to seal him into the Dark Realm. They would be safe for a while, who knew how long it would take for their greatest foe to regain the strength to free himself, if he ever did. The land of Hyrule rejoiced. And no one celebrated harder that the six Sages, the Princess, and the Hero of Time himself. Once they had their fill of the festivities, the eight heroes would agree to meet in the Sacred Realm once more. There were still something to discuss.

One by one the sages would appear in the Sacred Realm with Zelda and Link standing in the center of them. Once all were present the princess spoke up, her voice soft but firm. "We have won the war against Ganondorf, but at a cost." She stated before turning to face Link. "We have selfishly stolen seven years and many days of our brave hero's life to fight a battle that may not have ever happened had I not acted on visions that I unknowingly made happen. This is why we are here today." She paused to allow her words to set in.

"There are two choices at our disposal. We can return him to his childhood, before he came in contact with me with his memories of the future intact in order to prevent Ganondorf from ever coming in contact with the Triforce." The Princess continued. "That would save the land and people from many a hardship." Rauru, the Sage of Light spoke up causing many to nod. "That it would, but it would also make it so none of us ever awaken to who we really are. The people would still take goodness, life, and freedom for granted, just as they did when Ganondorf took hold of the Triforce. There are both positive as well as negative consequences for both decisions."

"The other choice, is that Link remains here, in this time. He can do as he wishes with his life. If he wants to be a knight, I will make it so. If he wants to settle down and start a family, he may. If he chooses to travel the land beyond Hyrule, then he can do that as well. The choice is his to make. Just as he has final say in what is decided." Zelda finished. "So, if he stays here in this time, he loses those seven years of his childhood, but gains the freedom to be who ever he wants to be however he wants to do it, with who ever he chooses." Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit stated as she eyed the hero up and down with a smirk. She didn't really care what he chose do to, she just hoped she'd get a chance at him in one time frame or another.

"If he returns to his childhood, the here and now we all know will cease to exist. No one will grow to become who they are right now. Plus, there's no telling what the Ganondorf of the past may do in order to get the Triforce. He could very well take The princesses younger self hostage or lay siege to the castle and its people in order to get what he wants." Impa, Zelda's hand maid and the Sage of Shadows, stated sadly.

"There would be no way for him to see us as we are now ever again, for who we are now, would never come to be. Even he would never become who he is now. He would go back to living as a Kokiri without a fairy. The outcast of the forest children only cared for by myself and the Great Deku... Did you know when Ganondorf's curse claimed the Great Deku's life, they all blamed Link because he was the last one to see the Great Deku alive?" Saria said, giving them her own thoughts on the matter.

Darunia sighed. "What ever the choice my brother makes, I hope it benefits him highly. I will miss him, and miss the chance to have ever met him if he chooses the past... Though if he does, I hope he still comes to help us regain our food supply just as he did back then..." Link smiled. "Of course I would, if that were my choice Darunia. However, the logical choice, would be to remain here. With the Triforce still fragmented, since we were forced to seal it with Ganondorf, if he were to ever return there would be no one with the courage to stand up to him as we did, directly or indirectly." The others in the room cheered, they really didn't wish to say goodbye to the one who brought them all together after all.

Away from the celebrations, a lone cloaked figure rummaged among the rubble where Ganondorf's castle had been. "No... No! My Lord... My children!" A sultry feminine voice cried out in dismay as the figure slumped, falling to her knees in the debris. "Let them celebrate this day for now... In time they will regret this day..." The figure murmured before allowed a gleeful cackle to escape her lips.

A few weeks had passed after the decision had been made and Link had decided to build a small home for himself in the lost woods near Saria's Temple. This way he was far enough away to not be considered a trespasser to the Kokiri, whom were children. So that Link wasn't lonely, Saria had spoken with Zelda and they managed to use their power to increase her age. After all, it would appear rather creepy for an adult male to hang out with a child, be they of eternal youth or not.

It took quite a bit of time to carve himself a home out of one of the larger, thicker trees, of which Saria assured him was perfectly fine. He wouldn't do anything to offend his closest friend. She often picked up the Kokiri's blade, which he had returned to her since it belonged to the Kokiri, and assisted him as best she could.

It took a great many weeks of the two working together, though the other sages, as well as the princess, stopped by to give their support and assistance to ensure his home was sturdy, and safe. Zelda even used her magic to ensure that a protective barrier would cover his home, so that no one could enter it without his approval., well except for one of the sages themselves perhaps. Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water, created a small stream from the one connected to the Kokiri's homes to create a small lake next to the house so he could bathe and swim as he pleased, as well as had fresh water to use for cooking. Darunia made sure the ground surrounding his home was stable, it wouldn't do for a mudslide to destroy all of their hard work

When they finally finished carving out the house, as well as making furniture, Link and Saria rested together on the roof as they listened to the lovely music of the forest the two relaxed. That was when Link first noticed it. The connection between him and Saria. They loved nothing more than to lay back and lazily admire the animals in the forest as they danced and played their days away. It was peaceful and serene. Glancing over at Saria to say something, the words would die on his tongue as he saw her in a different light.

He saw the light from the sun above on her like a spotlight. The way her hair danced in the breeze and the beautiful expression of joy as she giggled at the birds playing tag in the trees above them. Her laugh was like music to his ears, and he found that he wanted to hear that sound even more. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she turned to look at him, and her own breath seemed to catch in her throat. "Beautiful..." Link found himself saying before he could stop himself, causing her lovely cream colored cheeks to take on a redden hue. "H-huh?" She would stammer as she stared eyes. "T-the area... We picked a perfect location... Thank you for all the help." Link would force the words out after turning away in a failing attempt to hide his own blush. That is how their innocent relationship began to grow, as awkward as the start was.

Many months passed and time found Link and Saria madly in love with one another, not just mere attraction, much to the dismay of Princess Ruto, and Nabooru. Princess Zelda and Impa merely found the the two sages' whines to be amusing. The Sages assisted the couple in preparing the ancient tradition of marital bonding for the two, Zelda herself being the one to lead the ceremony.

A gleeful giggle filled the air, no one the wiser to the presence of a wedding crasher. "Perfect. I can wait a while longer..." A figure hidden in the shadows would murmur to herself, knowing she was far enough away that her enemies would not see, let alone hear, her words or her laugh. Still giggling the figure would turn to leave, her golden eyes dancing with madness.

A little over a year had passed and the happy couple now had a a daughter to call their own. They had given the name Katsura to their little bundle of joy. Unlike either of her parents the tiny infant had brown hair the color of chestnuts and hazel eyes that seemed to change colors slightly depending on her mood. As a gift to the three, the Sages and Zelda and come together to create three matching pendants made from special stones, which were used in the creation of protective charms. They were given to the family in hopes that they would all live safe and happy lives, especially little Katsura, their 'princess' of the forest, as dubbed by the new Deku Tree and the Kokiri whom visited Saria in the forest. It was a rather special gift, and they knew not how much it would come in handy...

One day Link had left to run an errand for the Princess. He had become a messenger between the Sages and the Royal Family. When he had returned home, to find his wife and daughter missing. He first checked the Forest Temple, to no avail, before making his way to the village of the Kokiri. It was one of the usual places she'd go with Katsura. The Kokiri loved to watch the little one and entertain her with noises and silly faces. It was just outside the tunnel to the village that he found Saria on the ground unconscious with a nasty bruise forming on the side of her head and Katsura was nowhere in sight.

"Saria!" He yelled as he ran to her side, moving her gently to check for wounds. Luckily there were none, besides the bruise. Next to here was a crumpled paper with clear handwriting on it. Placing his loves head gently on his lap, he grabbed the paper, smoothed it out as best he could and scanned it. Crumpling the paper in his shaking fist, Link would lift Saria bridal style and carry her into the village. Leaving her in the trusting hands of the Kokiri, Link would return home to make sure he had all his gear. Then he would make for Hyrule Castle.

It was dusk when Link reached the castle, it would have been so much easier had he not returned the Ocarina of Time to the Royal Family. Handing the letter he had found near Saria to one of the guards at the door, Link demanded they give it to Zelda as quickly as possible, before me made his way to the ruins of Ganondorf's castle, where he could see the orange glow of a fire as well as smoke arising.

In the center of the ruins where the ground was some what smooth and stable, was a small bonfire and a woman with little Katsura in her arm. The baby was wailing in fright at the woman's fast movements as she continued to spread the blood of a lamb into an intricate pattern on the ground. "Oh hush, brat. Be silent and I may convince my lord to let us keep you as our own to spite your wretched parents." She murmured, though it did nothing to quiet the crying infant.

Link could barely contain his anger. "I'm here as you stated. Now what is it you want in order for you to give me my daughter?" He stated as the note had requested, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. The woman turned to face him as the infant grew silent at the sound of her father's voice. "What do I want... Hmm...What I want... Is your bloody life! I want Lord Ganondorf and my own children back!" She snapped at the so called hero. "Do you even know of all the people you caused to die when you assaulted Lord Ganondorf?!" She continued at seeing Links confused face.

"My daughters were in that castle when it fell... All five of them. You're lucky I'd never kill a child otherwise yours would already be dead." The woman snapped. "W-who are you?" Link finally asked. "I am Vyri, and I was Ganondorf's Queen." She answered as she adjusted the infant in her arms, pulling out her sword. "Now all I need is a little blood and my revenge will be swift." Vyri giggled to herself as she lifted the edge to Katsura's leg. Before Link could react there was a small gash on his daughter's leg and the woman held the infant over the fire, letting her blood drip into it as the infant wailed.

Fire danced in Link's eyes as he charged the woman, pushing her away from the fire and catching his daughter before she tumbled into it. "Well, that wasn't very nice..." Vyri chided as if fussing at a child. Luckily it was at that moment Zelda and Impa appeared. Handing Katsura to the Princess, he looked to the gigging blood witch. He knew They would tend to the wound Vyri inflicted on her. "What did you do?" He questioned, the master sword drawn as he made his way towards the Gerudo woman, whom was dancing about the fire.

Above them a dark circular cloud appeared, red lightning dancing through it in odd circular patterns. "You will see in due time." She murmured, her dual swords in hand as she launched herself at him through the fire. The two blades clashed as she moved to slash at him with her other one, only for him to pusher himself back with the momentum of the first swing she had made. She laughed. "Nice move for one who was never trained to fight properly with a blade." Vyri giggled as Zelda and Impa watched the battle in horror.

Gaining distance as quickly as he could, Link launched a bomb at Vyri, only for her to swat it towards Zelda and Impa. "Get out of here! Get to safety for I cannot ensure it!" Link yelled out to Impa and Zelda who had to pull up a barrier at the last moment to save themselves from the blast. It was with strong sadness that they complied with his wish, though the made sure they could still see the fight from out of the battles range.

"You'll have to do better than that... A bomb... Who do you think helped Lord Ganondorf with target practice. Too bad he had trouble when it got to fast..." Vyri giggled as she lunged at him again, preventing him from drawing his bow or utilizing his hookshot. Luckily for him he managed to throw a deku nut, the flash momentarily blinding the woman, whom merely closed her eyes and chant to herself as her body twisted and turned to avoid the swipes of his blade. So far neither managed to lay a single blow on the other. They appeared evenly matched.

Holding his arm out, Link locked onto her with his hookshot and yanked her toward him. With a laugh, Vyri had opened her eyes and raised her blades to form an 'X' in front of her as their blades clashed once more. "Your better than I imagined, but you had to be to have beaten my love." Vyri commented, much to Link's annoyance. Pushing her back with the Master Sword, he charged a quick spin attack and let it go. Vyri was sent flying, her back connecting harshly against a stone column. "Ah...Heheha... That was fun. Wanna try that again?" She cackled, causing him to realize that she wasn't as sane as she appeared. Though she seemed rather ingenious for one so mad.

Link launched himself at her again, He knew she had something planned. That much was fairly obvious, but he didn't care. This wench had attacked his wife, stolen his precious daughter, made his infant child bleed. There would be no mercy. It was it great surprise when Vyri stopped his attack with one glowing red blade and knocked him off his feet with a slash of the other. Pushing himself back onto his feet, he glanced down to see his tunic and the armor beneath it sliced. The cloth itself slowly turning a brownish red from his blood. "Well... That was different." He commented slightly confused as he prepared himself for another attack. "Indeed." Vyri giggled as she stood above him, a blade at his throat.

Booming laughter sounded from the clouds above, sending chills down Links spine as Zelda moved closer to the area, Impa holding and trying to calm they wailing Katsura. "Yes! I hear you, my lord! Come! Watch me slay the fool who dared seal you!"She cackled, as she looked towards the clouds, giving Link his only chance. Knocking the blade aside and punching Vyri into the air, Link stood. It was unfortunate that she released her blade to take a firm hold of his fist, pulling him with her into the cloud he had tossed her into. With a all of her energy, Zelda closed the hole, sealing away the legendary hero and his greatest nemesis.

With a tear rolling down her cheek, she stumbled back to Impa. "The seal I have made is only temporary... In a few hundred years or so they will return. I fear there is a chance of the Dark Realm, as well as Ganondorf and Vyri the Blood Witch, forcing Link, or tainting him into joining their side... We must take the precautions to warn our future descendants. Katsura... We must send her to the future. We must send her to a place to be raised to defend... But it cannot be in the open... It can't be by anyone important for it would draw too much attention to her..." The Princess murmured. "Take me to the future then. I know just the place in which to hide and raise her..." Impa stated with a sad smile.


End file.
